Maha Shivaratri at Pashupatinath: A Night for Shiva

Once a year, the temple complex of Pashupatinath on the eastern edge of Kathmandu becomes the destination for one of the largest religious gatherings in Nepal. Maha Shivaratri, "the great night of Shiva", draws hundreds of thousands of worshippers, many of them from India, along with a colourful encampment of holy men. It is intense, crowded and unforgettable.

The occasion

Shivaratri falls on the night before the new moon in the lunar month of Falgun, usually in February or early March. Devotees believe that on this night Shiva performed his cosmic dance, or, in other accounts, married the goddess Parvati. Worshipping him through the hours of darkness is thought to bring release from past wrongdoing.

Pashupatinath is one of the most sacred Shiva shrines anywhere, which is why so many travel so far to be here.

The sadhus

In the week before the festival, ascetics begin arriving. They walk or travel from all over the subcontinent and are given food, firewood and shelter by the temple authorities in the rest houses and open grounds around the complex.

They belong to many orders. Some wear saffron robes; others are smeared with ash and wear almost nothing. Many have long matted hair coiled on top of the head, painted foreheads and strings of prayer beads. They sit by small fires, receive visitors, give blessings and perform feats of yoga or endurance. A few are showmen who expect payment for photographs. Others are deeply serious renunciants who have little interest in onlookers.

Shiva is associated with cannabis in Hindu tradition, and its use among the sadhus during the festival is an open custom, although the drug is illegal in Nepal and police periodically intervene. Visitors should not buy or accept it.

The main day

From the early hours, lines of devotees form on all the approach roads, carrying offerings of milk, flowers, fruit and leaves sacred to Shiva. Queues can be several kilometres long, and many people wait six hours or more to enter the main shrine. Only Hindus are admitted to it.

Through the day and night:

• Worshippers bathe in the Bagmati River.

• Priests conduct continuous rituals in the sanctum.

• Bonfires burn in the temple grounds and across the city, with families and neighbours gathering round them.

• Devotional music is performed.

• Many people keep a fast and stay awake until morning.

Elsewhere in Kathmandu, the army stages a parade and display on the central parade ground, since the day is also observed as Army Day.

Visiting as a non-Hindu

You cannot enter the main temple, but there is a great deal to experience outside it.

Go the day before. This is the best advice. On the eve of the festival, the sadhus are settled in their camps, the atmosphere is building, and the crowds are still manageable. You can walk the east bank terraces and the wooded hill behind them and see nearly everything.

On the day itself, access routes for foreign visitors are usually restricted to particular gates and paths, mainly on the eastern side of the river. Ask at your hotel for the current arrangement and expect to walk a long way, since roads are closed.

Where to stand. The stone terraces on the east bank, facing the main temple across the river, give the broadest view of the queues, the ghats and the temple roof. The hillside beyond is where many sadhus camp.

Practical advice

• Carry very little. Leave valuables at your hotel and keep your phone and money in a front pocket or a pouch under your clothes. Pickpocketing is a risk in the crush.

• Wear closed shoes and clothes that cover shoulders and knees.

• Photographing sadhus: ask first and agree any fee beforehand. Do not photograph anyone bathing.

• Stay hydrated, and have a meeting point in case your group is separated.

• Be cautious with children; the density of people can be alarming.

• Smoke. Bonfires and incense make the air thick. Those with breathing problems should bring a mask.

• Getting back. Taxis are scarce nearby in the evening. Walk out towards the ring road or the Boudha side before looking for one.

Is it for you?

If you dislike crowds, visit on the eve or content yourself with a local temple and a street-corner fire. If you are drawn to the sheer scale of living religious tradition, Shivaratri at Pashupatinath offers something rare: a great temple working at full capacity, surrounded by people who have walked across a subcontinent to spend one night there.